MASKED raiders armed with an axe and a knife threatened security guards as they delivered cash to a post office in Atherton.

Three men wearing balaclavas approached the van as it delivered money to Car Bank Post Office in Car Bank Street at 11.20am on Friday.

They threatened the guards before stealing a quantity of money and escaping in a K-registered maroon Vauxhall Cavalier.

The car had been stolen an hour before from the car park of Focus Do It All in Tyldesley Road, Atherton.

After the robbery, the car was found abandoned in a passageway at the rear of Car Bank Street and Cross Street. The raiders are then believed to have escaped in a silver Vauxhall Vectra with 53 in its registration number.

No-one was injured in the robbery.

Det Sgt Dean Fraser, of Leigh CID, said: "This was a terrifying incident that has left the staff extremely shaken.

"It happened in broad daylight when many people were around, so we would urge anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact us."

The man carrying the axe has been described as 5ft 10 to 6ft tall and of stocky build.

The man armed with the knife is said to have been slimmer and smaller than the first man. They were both white and wearing black balaclavas and dark jackets. Anyone with information is asked to call Leigh police on 0161 856 7253, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.